February 1, 2010

What Cold Medicine Can A Person With Heart Disease Take?

Posted in Heart disease tips tagged , , , , , , , , , , , at 4:28 pm by keepyourhearthealthy

It’s still cold and flu season so that means you are probably wondering which cold medicines are safe for your heart?  Anyone who has been diagnosed with heart disease needs to be extra cautious of what they take over-the-counter.  One of the biggest problems with many over-the-counter medicines is related to the side effect of high blood pressure.  Most cold and flu medicines have the ingredient pseudoephedrine (AKA Sudafed) which is known to raise blood pressure.  When a person’s blood pressure goes up, the chances of heart attack and stroke are increased, sometimes quite significantly!  I have always recommended to my heart patients that they avoid pseudoephedrine and instead take something like Coricidin HBP.  Coricidin HBP is a cold relief medicine specifically made for people with high blood pressure or heart problems.  If you are unsure whether your favorite cold/flu medicine contains a harmful ingredient for your heart, ask your pharmacist!  Chances are that most cold medicines you buy at the store should be avoided because they DO contain the harmful pseudoephedrine! 

To read more about heart disease and colds, check out this link from WebMD: http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/cold-guide/heart-disease-colds